Brawn GP: F1’s fairytale Champions

When Honda announced its immediate withdrawal from F1 at the end of the 2008 season, hundreds of people, including Team Principal Ross Brawn and drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, were left wondering whether they’d have jobs to go back to after Christmas.

After months of doubt, Brawn eventually agreed to buy the team from Honda for the exchange of a single pound. As part of that deal, the car that Honda had spent the best part of a year developing for 2009 was passed into Brawn’s ownership.

With Honda gone, the car needed a new engine, and modifications were made to accommodate a Mercedes V8, which fortuitously was far more powerful and driveable than the Honda.

The car first conceived as the Honda RA109 was re-designated the BGP 001 and turned a wheel for the first time on 6^th March 2009 during a private shakedown at Silverstone. At the time, we didn’t know if its plain white livery with fluorescent yellow flashes would be permanent, we didn’t yet know what the team would officially be called. It wasn’t until the 17^th March, just 12 days before the opening race of the season, that the FIA approved the entry of Brawn GP.

Against all the odds, the remnants of Honda made it to pre-season testing in Barcelona, and it didn’t take long for those in attendance to sense that something extraordinary was about to occur.

The BGP 001 was immediately monstrously quick. Both Button and Barrichello were consistently more than a second faster than the rest over a single lap, while also demonstrating impeccable reliability throughout a relentless running schedule. It was scarcely believable, cries of qualifying setups and featherweight fuel loads attempted to explain the Brawn’s phenomenal performance, but there was actually something far more complex at play.

The team — and worth nothing that others, too — had found a loophole in a vast new set of regulations that allowed for a ‘double diffuser’, which basically gave the Brawn car a massive downforce advantage. Williams and Toyota had also come up with similar designs, but the Brawn was superior.

Renault, Red Bull and Ferrari disputed the legality of the double diffuser ahead of the opening round at Melbourne, but the race stewards were unmoved, so the Brawn BGP 001 was cleared to take part in its first Grand Prix weekend.

Such was the lateness of the team’s arrival on the official F1 entry list that even the car’s race numbers weren’t confirmed until the last minute. Initially, Button and Barrichello were assigned 20 and 21, with Force India being moved up one place to 18 and 19, but Force India had already printed their team gear, so Brawn were reassigned 22 and 23.

With that final piece of admin out of the way, the BGP 001 could finally head out on track, and all eyes were watching to see if that testing pace was legitimate. But Brawn was now toying with the opposition, playing the long game and prioritising race running rather than giving away their outright pace. Already it seemed as though Ross Brawn had understood this unprecedented opportunity to claim a fairytale maiden win at the very first attempt.

When Button and Barrichello locked out the front row of the grid for Brawn GP, it was clear we were on the verge of something special. The pair completed a one-two finish in the Grand Prix a day later, and after at one point being mere days from extinction, this team had completed an unfathomable comeback to win at the first attempt.

As stories go, that would have been enough to cement Brawn GP’s legend in the sport, but the team didn’t stop there. Button went on to win six of the first seven races to open up a huge lead in the Championship, while Barrichello’s consistent performances behind ensured Brawn had a 39.5-point lead in the Constructors’ standings after seven rounds.

But Brawn GP’s underdog status became clear as those around them began to close the gap. While the likes of Red Bull with its huge budget was able to fast track development of its car, Brawn had no such option and was forced to battle on with little more than the car they had first delivered to Silverstone all those months ago.

Button wouldn’t win again for the rest of the season, but his performance while the car was dominant was enough to ensure he could manage the points gap to his closest rivals. Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren proceeded to take points off each other through the second half of the year, and Brawn’s advantage was such that World Championship glory was assured for both driver and team at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Brawn GP’s story is unique in an era when budgets exceeded the hundreds of millions. No team before or since has overcome such astronomical odds to win the F1 World Championship, and it’s the achievements of underdogs like this that will forever be remembered in decades to come.

Goodwood will celebrate the greatest underdogs in F1 history as part of the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard’s F1 75 celebrations.

The 2025 Festival of Speed takes place on 10^th-13^th July. Friday and Saturday tickets are now sold out, but Thursday and limited Sunday tickets are still available.

Images courtesy of Getty Images.